02/09/2006>> Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse (PC)

Genre: Third-person Shooter / Action

 

 

 

 

Stubbs the zombie is a competent 3rd person action title that plays more like an arcade game than anything you can come to expect on a console nowadays. However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You’ll find that the game accomplishes exactly what it has set out to do. It’s the first major title in years that actually lets you “be” the zombie, for better or for worse.

Graphics

The game runs on the Halo engine, and it looks it. Character models look halo-ish, environments look halo-ish and the in game menus look halo-ish. This means the models environments and menus look good, but nothing we have never seen before. The game is played through a 1950’s drive in film style, which turns out to be an interesting take. I found it grainy enough to know its there but not enough to mar gameplay or annoy the player. The game camera is also tinted green, which seems a bit more intrusive, and there doesn’t seem to be any option to turn it off. But again, it adds to the style and isn’t more than a minor annoyance to any of its detractors. Overall, graphics are slightly better than your average 3rd person title, and about on par with your average first person title on an Xbox console.

Sound

Sound is surprisingly good in this game. Gunshots are extremely realistic and fit the time period in which the game takes place. Zombie moans and groans sound as realistic as can be expected (However, I don’t believe I have seen or heard enough zombies in real life to qualify myself as an expert). Voice acting is cheesy by design, but in some places it can actually sound somewhat convincing. In game music is stellar, with an entire soundtrack of classic 50’s songs remade by modern bands are spattered throughout the game and main menu. The soundtrack is so professional and well done it is actually available as a separate purchase from the game. Sound is definitely a huge plus for Stubbs, in almost every instance.

Story

Well, there is no story. Stubbs as a human died a mysterious death as a traveling salesman and was buried in the fields by the man who killed him. Billionaire Andrew Monday 25 years later unknowingly decides to build Punchbowl, a utopia like city of the future, over Stubbs’s premature grave. So Stubbs has risen again as a zombie, hat on his head, shotgun blast in his side, and cigarette in his mouth. For some reason you follow him on his mindless adventures through the sprawling metropolis of Punchbowl, as he unknowingly launches an apocalyptic evil onto the town, one brain at a time.

There is little plot development until the very last level, and when the story wraps itself up you suddenly get the sensation that it was tacked on didn’t receive the attention it desired. Is it as comedic as you would expect? Probably. Is it serviceable? Just barely. So much more could have been told about the city of Punchbowl and its inhabitants though, and perhaps even our favorite zombie himself.

Gameplay

This is where it really counts if Stubbs wants success. Graphics and sound are nice, but with no real story, this game better have some interesting gameplay or it’ll be about as interesting as painting a department store. Fortunately, Stubbs the Zombie does not disappoint. The game lets you command Stubbs: a fully functional, if a bit stiff, zombie. He movies like a zombie, fights like a zombie, and, of course, eats like a zombie. Stubbs’s main attacks employ his hands, clawing away at an enemy until his untimely demise. If an enemy falls to Stubbs’s onslaught, it will lie still for a time, but before long rise again as another one of Stubbs’s unholy minions. Stubbs’s can create as many zombies as he wants, and a sizable portion of them will follow his every move. They are surprisingly strong, and don’t need the babysitting you would expect when you are playing a game that allows you control of a small horde of undead minions. Sometimes it is advisable to hang back and let your zombie army do all the work while you lurk in the shadows planning your next move.

As if that wasn’t enough, Stubbs also has a repertoire of special abilities that make him one tough zombie to fight. Stubbs has control of gut grenades that explode in a cloud of noxious gas, and an unholy flatulence attack that paralyzes all nearby victims in disgust. Stubbs can also utilize his hand of possession, tearing it off to latch onto some poor host’s noggin- thus controlling every move that host makes. It is the only way Stubbs can control guns, thus a basic ranged attack, in the game. Be warned however; any enemy killed with a gun does not return as a zombie. Lastly, Stubbs can rip off his own head (a new one promptly grows back) and bowl it into a group of enemies, knocking down things in the way and detonating after a set period or when he deems necessary. Down on the juice for those special abilities? All you need to do is snack on a poor victim’s brain, which is also an instant kill if you can pull it off. If you don’t think that you could satisfy yourself with the above, then don’t pick up this game. The action is mindless and can be repetitive. Every mission (with the exception of boss fights) is virtually identical with the exception of environments and enemies. If you have played one mission you have played them all, so make sure you enjoy the mindless zombie action that the game so blatantly offers. If you aren’t thrilled with the first 10 minutes of the game, this game is not for you.

 

 

A few words of advice while playing the game: It is short, very short. A veteran gamer could finish the game easily in hours on Normal with very little trouble. My advice; play it on every difficulty, but start with Hard. Coop is available as well, be sure to take advantage only after you have finished single player and know what to expect. You will find that gameplay is slightly different in Coop than in single player, but the game experience remains largely the same, but with a friend.

Stubbs the Zombie is a must buy for zombie lovers and a must rent for anyone else. With good graphics, sound, and fun gameplay it is an excellent afternoon or two experiences. Be warned however- the game is a short one, and offers only cooperative multiplayer. And if you are not completely immersed in the gameplay it can seem a bit repetitive at times. Overall Stubbs the Zombie is probably going to be the most fun you’ll have before Christmas morning, just don’t expect to do any thinking while you play. It’s designed so that people whose brains have already been eaten can play too.

 

 

 

Game Score

 

7.7

 

 

Reviewed By: Thomas Bisulca